Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, president and CEO of Humber Polytechnic

Humber College unveiled its new name, Humber Polytechnic, signaling a third option in post-secondary education for students.

The post-secondary school unveiled its new name and brand identity, “Builders of Brilliance,” during its annual President’s Breakfast on Thursday. The Polytechnic was formerly Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning.

Humber Polytechnic president and CEO Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan tells strategy the rebrand is aimed to provide options to students and address “Canada’s biggest challenge, the productivity crisis.”

Productivity has declined in Canada for many years, Humber said in a news release. With its new direction, Humber’s goal is to solve the issue by bridging academia, industry and government to change Canada’s productivity course and drive competitiveness, job creation and economic prosperity, according to the organization.

“We’re shedding our traditional constraints of higher education and we’re going to reimagine and build a whole new model that adapts and shapes to the world around us,” Vaughan says. “That’s a fundamental rethink of how we deliver education – not just moving from on-site to online, this is going to be a much deeper transformation.”

Francis Onoriode, chair of IGNITE Student Union

To communicate Humber’s new brand identity, “Builders of Brilliance” will launch this fall across multiple platforms. Additionally, Humber will begin its recruitment campaign and advance a Masters degree within the next year, as well a offer an Applied Masters in Advanced Manufacturing, the first of its kind it Canada, Vaughan says.

“Our mission is combining deep theoretical learning with applied, hands-on experience to foster employability — not just employment for a job, but employability for a life.”

Through a “Humber Inspired” process, more than 1,000 students, faculty members, support staff, administration, industry and community partners shared their ideas for Humber’s future prior to the rebrand. More than 3,000 concepts were generated, all of which contributed to Humber’s new vision.

Vaughan adds that Humber Polytechnic also looked at educational models farther afield, specifically Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland. Each of these countries, which offered a similar third model, beat Canada in productivity, according to Humber’s research, Vaughan says.

Humber’s new polytechnic and post-secondary education model credits students for learning inside and outside of the classroom. The model includes new industry-responsive curriculum, a new approach to credit transfer, and deeper engagement with employer partners, the school said in a release. Humber Polytechnic provides programming to more than 86,000 learners.